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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23891884">The Good, The Bad, And The Mandalorian</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miscellaneous_Ace/pseuds/Miscellaneous_Ace'>Miscellaneous_Ace</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Mandalorian (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Baby Din not having a good time, Childhood Trauma, Corin not having a good time ever, Dead Parents, Death in a fire, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Trauma, Valentis' are Abusive, traumatic events</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 16:14:22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,090</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23891884</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miscellaneous_Ace/pseuds/Miscellaneous_Ace</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Din Djarin was born the son of a gentleman.<br/>After two consecutive tragedies, he was raised by bandits.</p><p>Corin Valentis was born the son of a Native American.<br/>After a distraction and false promise, he was raised by bigots.</p><p>Maybe the powers at large were finally smiling down on them to allow them to meet.<br/>Maybe they were cackling at their misfortune.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Baby Yoda &amp; Corin the Stormtrooper (Rescue and Regret) &amp; The Mandalorian (The Mandalorian TV), Corin the Stormtrooper (Rescue and Regret)/The Mandalorian (The Mandalorian TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>20</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Good, The Bad, And The Mandalorian</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyIrina/gifts">LadyIrina</a>, <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tate_The_Great/gifts">Tate_The_Great</a>, <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Militia/gifts">Militia</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Howdy and welcome to the Wiiiiild West. </p><p>This fic was sparked from a prompt in the Discord Server, so I'm just taking it and running. While I have seen a great many Westerns, this is by no means historically accurate nor is it accurate to what the typical Western movie looks like. It's literally just what I can make up and make sense in the setting. (Also, apologies, but the Mandalorians aren't really... Mandalorian. You'll see.)</p><p>Thank you, by the way, to the Discord Server for getting some writing out of me. I've been a bit stuck with my other fics recently, so might be able to get back into it with this "oneshot".</p><p> </p><p>Enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Din knew three things from his youth. First was that he loved his parents, with everything he had. Second was that his parents loved him, that was irrefutable. The third was that his father was a gentleman, through and through.</p><p>His mother was both endeared and exasperated by it. </p><p>She would roll her eyes and smile when he opened a door for her, and smiled in gratitude as she wrapped him up in a towel when he rushed back in after rescuing the cat during a storm. </p><p>She sighed then chuckled when he held her chair out for her at dinner, and she hugged him, whispering praises, when he brought several families into their home, after a flood had destroyed theirs. </p><p>She openly laughed when he wrapped a blanket around her shoulders because “I was cold, my love,” and she kissed him deeply when he brought several displaced miners in when the roof of the local inn fell in.</p><p> </p><p>A moment that Din still looked on in fondness regarding his parents was when they were walking along the side of the street. They’d just left the tailor, Din remembered tugging at his collar which his mother reprimanded gently with a kind smile. </p><p>“You look so handsome, darling,” She’d said, “Won’t you leave it? For me?”</p><p>He sighed wearily, then nodded obediently, “Yes, mama.”</p><p>She beamed, then let out a shrill noise of alarm when his father stopped her walking suddenly. Din stopped too, blinking up at his parents in confusion.</p><p>His mother frowned at her husband, “What is it?”</p><p>He glared at the ground before them like it had done him a great dishonour, “Oh no, we cannot have that.”</p><p>Din and his mother looked where he was looking to see a puddle lay before them, maybe two steps away.</p><p>His father immediately stripped of his newly tailored jacket, and laid it across the puddle, before beaming at his wife, “Wouldn’t want to wet your petticoats, my love.”</p><p>She blushed prettily and giggled at him, the fool she’d fallen in love with, “My, what the gentleman. Thank you darling, you’re my saviour.”</p><p>Din had rolled his eyes at the time. It only drew a smile to his lips now.</p><p> </p><p>His parents had been killed in a fire not six months later, his mother pregnant with a sibling Din would never meet. </p><p>His father had rushed him out of the house, handing him off quickly to a kind neighbour, but before anyone could stop him ran back into the blaze for his wife. He never made it back out again. His nature, to constantly give, finally costing the ultimate price.</p><p>Din stared into the flames, screaming for his parents, until his eyes hurt and his voice left him. Of course, that’s when he saw a man running out of the blaze, shedding his jacket quickly and tossing it back into the flames of the house. </p><p>Before the neighbour could do anything Din had jumped away from him and scrambled towards the figure. </p><p>Only, it wasn’t his father. He was shorter, scrawnier, and when he turned in surprise at Din’s approach, his face was lit by the flames still too close for comfort. His face was too long, nose too thin, and his eyes impossibly wide and blue but rimmed in red from the smoke. Before Din could hope to stop him, scream for anyone to see him, he rushed off into the gardens and brush. </p><p> </p><p>Din’s father’s kindness at least helped Din after this terrible tragedy hit the community. The families living in the mining town of Deadwood banded together to care for Din, passing him along the daisy chain of their care so that they weren’t all put out. </p><p>This was brought to a standstill when the mines were sold and the miner’s pay was cut clean in half. He was then passed from home to home every day while the miners grew more angered with the sudden change. </p><p>When their pay was cut once more, by a whole third, they began to kick up a fuss. Not only could they barely afford to take care of their own families now, they <em> dreaded </em> their household’s turn to take Din in. Which was unacceptable, they owed so much to his father and the kid had done no wrong to deserve such a feeling. </p><p>They justly took it up with their new employers, pointing out how terrible and cruel it was to do this to them. As a family man, surely Macero Valentis could sympathise at least? They could cut costs elsewhere, their pay couldn’t take this sort of hit.</p><p>They were wrong. Macero Valentis threatened them with a shotgun and to contact the sheriff, with a very young child stood right behind him no less. So, the few miners who had approached the homestead - that stood on a hill away from town, but looking down on it all the same - returned home viscerally angry. </p><p>Two weeks later they marched back up the homestead, having hired bandits with their collective wages for protection, and asked again for their salaries to be raised. </p><p>The Valentis’ had been warned or something though, because the balconies opened up and trained soldiers and sheriffs began to fire down on them. </p><p>Din and a group of other children had followed, albeit at a reasonable distance, and watched in horror as their family members dropped like flies. The other children ran in horror, all the way back to town. Din was shocked into complete stillness as he saw the man who’d fled from the fire in a deputy’s uniform. </p><p>It went a bit too fast for Din to keep up after that. </p><p>The miners and bandits tried to flee then, the bandits attempting to cover for them but not having the best luck. </p><p>Din nearly got trampled by the frightened men, but before he knew what was happening he was scooped up by someone and tucked against a chest. They ran fast and away, and were somehow missed when more soldiers jumped out of the underbrush and started shooting at those fleeing. They came upon the line of horses the bandits had brought, and Din’s savior jumped onto the first one they reached then rode as fast as he could back into town. </p><p>Eventually he slowed, heart still pounding under Din’s cheek.</p><p>He pushed Din back slightly by the shoulder, green eyes wide and horrified but that was all Din could see of his face. “What were you <em> doing, </em> kid?”</p><p>Tears rolled down Din’s face as he suddenly realised just how close to death he was, and how this bandit had just saved his life.</p><p>The bandit softened and held him flush to his chest again, “Hey, sh, hey. I’ve got you now kid. Want me to take you back to your mom?”</p><p>Din wailed at the reminder, holding desperately to the bandit’s shirt.</p><p>“Ok, ok, we won’t do that then. Hey, sh, hey, it’s ok. Do you- do you still have a home to go to? A grandma maybe?”</p><p>“No!” Din shrieked, “I have nothing! I have no one! The fire took my family! If it didn’t-if it didn’t none of them would have died. My papa would have never paid them so poorly!” He clung to the man, “I want my papa.”</p><p>The bandit had heard about the fire in the paper. He knew that a little boy was the only survivor. He could only assume... “Do you want to come home with me?”</p><p>Din sobbed but considered it. Where else would he go? He couldn’t go to any of these dying men’s homes, he’d caused this. If his father and mother had survived instead of him then none of this would have happened. No, the best he could do for them now was to save them another mouth to feed.</p><p>“Please,” He whimpered as the sobs began to recede. </p><p>The bandit nodded, “Alright.” </p><p>He helped Din turn in the saddle to face the front and then removed the cloth tied around his face and tied it around Din’s.</p><p>“For the wind,” He explained, then gripped the reins again, “Hold onto the saddle, yeah?”</p><p>Din nodded and held on for dear life. </p><p>“Hyah!” He yelled and they took off.</p><p>They rode through the rest of the day, through the night, and into the next morning. Only stopping to give the horse an opportunity to drink when they came across a water source, ignoring how much the saddle hurt to sit in and how the sun beat down on them, unforgiving in its heat. </p><p>Eventually, they came upon the mountains. </p><p>The bandit got off of the horse, keeping Din securely in the saddle and led them off. They traveled up the narrow path and hugged the rocky walls as they traversed small ledges that dropped off into sheer ravines that would give a quick but painful death. Din holds tightly to the saddle the entire way, but it’s clear the bandit knows these paths well. </p><p>Not an hour later they walked into a large cave that Din quickly understands to house a small community. It was like the town centre, with about ten people walking around. They stopped at their arrival and smiled brightly at him in greeting. </p><p>A tall, broad man stepped forward with large strides and clapped Din’s savior on the shoulder, “Montana! Yer back! Where’re the others? Who’s the kid?”</p><p>“I don’t know, Vizla” Montana answered Vizla’s drawled question, suddenly shaking as he allowed himself to think about it now that they were safe, “They overpowered us, I have no idea how many escaped, but I saw far more of ours drop than the other side.”</p><p>Vizla paled but nodded and drew Montana into a solid hug. When Montana finally stopped shaking he drew back to hold Montana’s shoulders firmly, “We’ll figure it out, cyare.”</p><p>Montana nodded with a sigh, “I know.”</p><p>His partner then looked up at Din who curled away in fright. The large man smiled softly and approached to gently stroke the muzzle of the horse. </p><p>“How old’re ya, kid?”</p><p>“Nearly eight,” Din answered, though his voice was soft and cracked from disuse, but his mother raised him better than to be impolite when an adult asked a question.</p><p>“Really? My son’s nine! His name’s Paz, what’s yours?”</p><p>Din swallowed thickly, “Aydin Djarin, but only my mama calls-” His breath caught and his eyes watered, “Called me Aydin.”</p><p>Vizla grimaced empathetically and smiled softly, “My name’s Jeremiah Vizla, but e’ryone calls me Vizla cause it’s quick,” He nodded back to Montana, “And the man that brought ya here? He doesn’t even know his name, but he’s from Montana. So, that’s what we call him, Montana.”</p><p>Din frowned, not following.</p><p>“What d’ya want us to call ya?” He said in lieu of explanation.</p><p>“Din,” He replied softly, “Everyone calls me Din.”</p><p>The large man grinned and ruffled Din’s hair, “Good to meet ya, Din.”</p><p>“Where are we?” Din asked softly, Montana’s home was his only guess, but that didn’t help much. </p><p>“It’s a pretty big secret,” Vizla grinned, “Think ya can keep a secret, Din?”</p><p>Din nodded.</p><p>“Well then, welcome to the Covert.”</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>So that’s where Din remained, with the Covert. </p><p>Over the next week the remaining bandits decided to offer refuge to every family in Deadwood who lost family members. They had been paid to protect those that had died, afterall, it was only fair to offer something in apology for not accomplishing that. Their guilt was palpable, especially since it turned out Montana was the only survivor. Of the bandits and miners alike.</p><p>So, Bandit scouts snuck back into the town several days later, under the cover of night, to make the offer. </p><p>Many of the families took them up on it, loaded up wagons with their belongings and family and rode with them back to the mountains for sanctuary and perhaps a fresh start. </p><p>Some refused, their families had lived in those homes for generations. Leaving now was shameful. They’d lived through terrible employers before, they’d do it again. Still, they were grateful for the offer and promised to visit if they should ever need it in the future. </p><p>After all of this, Din was taken in by Montana and Vizla. He grew up with a brother in everything but blood, and learned how to take what the Covert needed while maintaining enough kindness and generosity to live up to his father’s legacy given the circumstances. </p><p>Still, Aydin Djarin, the son of a gentleman, found himself raised by bandits.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So like I said, this was a prompt in the discord server a few days ago. It was also an AU Tatum, my Vod (love her), outlined in discord Ages Ago. Which is why she is gifted this. I highly reccommend checking out her things, she's a master word smith and I love her so very dearly.</p><p>With this being a prompt, though, someone else was bound to get inspired too. Specifically, my (server)wife Militia (who I also gifted this to) has taken a crack at it too with "Western Mandalorian" https://archiveofourown.org/works/23872855/chapters/57385306<br/>She is a Beast in regards to uploading and updating! Legitimately Godspeed. (38. 38 works Kar'ta???? HOW?!??!? I know a significant number of those are artworks, BUT STILL!! HOLY SHIT!!)<br/>Definitely check her out, she's an Amazing word smith and creator in general (her fan art is So Good y'all). </p><p> </p><p>Hope you enjoyed the Prologue of my "oneshot" lmao. Working on the next chapter, so should come in soon enough. Feel free to comment, I read them (and usually reply) &lt;3</p></blockquote></div></div>
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